Use for waste chaetomorpha?

[thebanker]

There must be a use for this stuff. My first thought was squeezing it like wheatgrass and taking shots. But that also sounds disgusting.

Seriously, what can one do with waste chaeto?

 

[HippieSmell]

LFS trade fodder. Maybe a tang would eat some. Or take shots of it like a real man *barf*.

 

[thebanker]

LFS trade fodder would be good, I figured. It's just a crappy trade. Here! Have some used algae, I'll just take those corals...

 

[andrewk529]

i add my excess cheato to the garden or into a compost pile; it's great fertilizer for all plants.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

harvested Chaeto

harvested Chaeto

makes a great food for FO aquarium fishes

 

[thebanker]

I'm afraid to leave it outside in any way... With the fragile coastal ecosystem around here, I don't want chaeto getting out into the kelp forests and whatnot.

 

[Ben_Im]

I just keep it in a bucket of saltwater (mixed from tap water since my tap water source has a lot of nitrates). Keep it near a window where it'll get sunlight. It'll stay alive even with temperature swings. Usually I wait until someone local needs some and I just give them a ton.

 

[rwb500]

honestly I wouldnt worry about it going to waste. as long as its not going to an anaerobic landfill, its not going to end up any different than the hundreds of pounds of grass clippings taken off an average-size lawn every year. just throw it in your garden.

 

[thebanker]

I just keep it in a bucket of saltwater (mixed from tap water since my tap water source has a lot of nitrates). Keep it near a window where it'll get sunlight. It'll stay alive even with temperature swings. Usually I wait until someone local needs some and I just give them a ton.

That's a good idea. Do you need to keep the water flowing in the bucket?

I think I'm going to start supplying my LFS, he never has any chaeto anyway.

 

[Boomstick]

it would be great for the garden if you put it in a compost pile. maybe your LFS would want it also to feed their fish and maybe even sell - it could get you a couple $$ off your next purchase....

Another thought is to look into a Macro that your fish will eat, we have a tang and are in the process of putting up a 300g - with that will will get macro that the tang will eat to make it a close to closed loop (tang craps, macro uses it to grow, tang eats macro....) just a thought.

 

[taku]

I have the same issue, I hate to throw it out but I need to get into the fuge and do that soon.

 

[thebanker]

Boomstick, that sounds like a good idea. The only issue is that the food-macro will take up space in my fuge, and will work less efficiently (I'm assuming) than the chaeto. I'm running an ecosystem method filter, and reducing the space for chaeto will likely have a material impact on my N/P levels. :|

Also I've been told a tang won't survive in a 55G?

 

[Dustin1300]

Boomstick has a good idea. Sounds like a good cycle where you can be using it for multiple purposes:thumbsup:

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[sslak]

Take it to the LFS.

People starting new tanks are always asking for it...and if I get even a couple snails or something for it, I consider it a pretty sweet trade rather than having it end up in the trash.

 

[jerseyhokie]

Some LFS will issue credit as well. So it may take a month or so but the algae will eventually be worth the coral you want. I would think if you kill it and compost it you would have an excellent nitrogen rich fertilizer.

 

[Ooulophilia]

I would be careful feeding it to fish - this was only a one off experience but I had a very large French Angel that had been in captivity for years which one day stopped eating and eventually died.

I necropsied it and found that its insides were all bound up with caeto (I had been feeding the excess to it). This was a one off thing but after that i do not feed the excess to my fish.

Just post on a local reef forum - there is always someone who will take it off of your hands and you might get a frag in return! (Alternately I make an afro out of it and scare the niegbours kids )

 

[Megalodon]

There must be a use for this stuff. My first thought was squeezing it like wheatgrass and taking shots. But that also sounds disgusting.

Seriously, what can one do with waste chaeto?

You might want to consider investing in a composting bin. I would love to get one myself but I don't have the room.

 

[rustyjames]

If you ship any corals use excess chaeto like packing peanuts in the bag or container. Keeps the frag nice and cozy.

 

[teddyzaper]

make a ghillie suite? or you could be the monster from the deep on halloween?

 

[vwtanker]

Chaeto doesn't digest very well. Most fish will pass it like we do large doses of fiber. Claripa and other macros can grow just as quickly when established and can be used to feed tangs and other herbivores.
The compost is the best idea. If its a good LFS they don't need extra chaeto.